Cold, Paper and Man
by BitterLiberator
Summary: She didn't appreciate work but she did enjoy his company. AU. Yuffie K. and Vincent V.


This is my first story so I hope you like it and I do not own any characters from Final Fantasy.

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The young woman groaned in irritation as she laid a hand on her forehead, "Being sick sucks…"

Yuffie Kisaragi has caught a cold. Yes, even (so-called) idiots can catch a cold.

Laying on the sofa, she pondered how she caught the minor sickness. Probably from work, a friend or a hangover. Still, she was grateful for taking the day off for she needed freedom and recovery, as well as to finish her given assignment. She shifted a few times in annoyance, cursing under her breath that she should've slept on her bed than the uncomfortable sofa, unfortunately, her bedroom was on the second floor and it would be quite cumbersome to climb the flight of stairs just to lie her head on soft puffy pillows.

Her relaxation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a doorbell ringing obnoxiously throughout the house, "Coming…" Her voice was raspy but she didn't bother. She reluctantly got up from the sofa and lazily dragged her feet to the origin of the sound. She assumed it was Tifa, who'd promised to pay a visit, however, to her astonishment, that _someone_ turned out to be Vincent Valentine.

"Vinnie?" Yuffie looked taken aback by his unexpected presence. She rubbed her eyes a few times in order to make sure her vision wasn't fooling around. "Where's Teef?"

"Tifa's busy, so I'm the substitute." the man replied, "She did ask me to send her regards though."

"Aww, how sweet!" Yuffie said gleefully, "You're damn right to come here. Not to mention, you've got yourself a room too." She added with a wink.

He simply corked an eyebrow in response.

She chuckled, "C'mon in." She headed to the kitchen and Vincent entered, closing the door behind him. He was _slightly_ surprised to see that the house was nice and clean, with a big picture of Wutai's leader and Yuffie's father, Godo Kisaragi, hung on the wall except for the messy contents of portfolios and paperwork spilled all over her coffee table. _What a mess…_ he thought as he stopped by at the table with a somewhat interested look.

"What're these?" He examined one of the papers as soon as Yuffie returned with a glass of water.

"It's the speech for the awards ceremony tomorrow night." She said as she handed him the glass of water, "And the boss was right to entrust the job to the Great Yuffie!" She boasted proudly with a grin.

"And I supposed you're done with it?" He drained the drink.

"Nope."

He shot her a glare and she smiled innocently.

"Chillax Vinnie, it's not like the apocalypse is coming. My stupid workload has been increasing day by day, and boss isn't going easy on me with the pay and all." She explained with a frown, "I need a vacation and you know it."

"A vacation?" He snorted, "You always slack around in the office with piles of undone papers on your table. Surely that's the time you take a breather?"

"What's your problem!" She flared up unintentionally, either due to the sickness or Vincent's sarcastic comment, "I'm not escaping from work and I'm not a coward either! It's this stupid cold driving me nuts to the core! How dare you drag my slacking-at-work into this!" She yelled.

"Yuffi-"

"I don't give a damn what you're gonna say next! Get the hell out of my house!" She used all her might to push the man out of house but to no avail. Boy, she really needed Tifa here!

"Calm down and go pop some medical pills. You're still sick."

"I'm not until you leave the house! Just get out! I'm so gonna quit my job because of you. And I will be jobless! No money, no food, no nothin'! What will I do? You tell me! What will I do? What will I do? What will I doooo!?" Her anger seemed to vanish, and she erupted into a massive sob.

After her screams were calmed, silence begun to envelope the two, except for the sound of Yuffie's cries. "Are you happy? Are you happy that I'm not happy?" She retorted, sniffing.

Vincent said nothing, instead, he embraced her. Awkwardly. She cried more, tears slightly drenching his priceless tuxedo but he didn't mind. "I thought you said you weren't a coward." He said softly.

"Is that a way of saying stop crying?" Her voice was muffled and she could smell his aftershave.

He chuckled, "Perhaps." He wiped her tears with his fingers, slightly making Yuffie shivered at his touch.

The two stood there chatting like old friends, work didn't even seem to enter the subject. Gradually, night begun to blanket the sky and the stars were adorned all over. By that time, Yuffie had finally finished typing and printing out the sheets needed for the ceremony tomorrow night. Vincent was sitting on the sofa reading a Vogue magazine. Stifling a yawn, he gazed at the Hello Kitty clock behind the counter and noted it was time to leave. He stood up and walked over to where Yuffie was, only to find her sleeping by the table with her papers scattered over. "Honestly…" He smirked as he neared her.

…

Waking up the next morning, she was surprised to see a blanket covering her and the papers were gone. Stretching her arms and wondering where it had been, medicines and remedies she'd had never remembered buying them were placed on the table, along with a small piece of paper. She curiously took a peek and giggled.

_I've taken the papers with me. Here's a gift to express my gratitude, and to apologize for my rudeness as well. _

Smiling contently, she stared at the paper with a small blush on her face.

_Thanks_.


End file.
